Apple Music vs YouTube Music – Which is Better?

Some people say that Apple music and YouTube music beat Spotify, especially since the allegations of unfair artist compensation directed at Spotify. Yet, how do we know that the meek goldfish named Apple Music and YouTube Music do not also have shark teeth. Is Apple Music going to reign supreme, or is YouTube Music going to overtake Apple’s long-standing domination in the music industry? Which is better, Apple Music or YouTube Music?

Let’s Start with Price

YouTube also offers a free trial that is longer than the Apple free trial. After your trial, it will cost you roughly the same amount as it costs with Apple Music. YouTube also has a package where you can pay a little extra and get YouTube Premium too. YouTube finally added a family and student plan that offers discounts for certain users. You cannot play music in the background on your device unless you are paying the monthly fee.

The Apple Music and the Spotify plans are very similar. They both charge a monthly fee that you can turn into an annual fee, and there is a student discount and a family discount. The biggest difference between Spotify and Apple is that Apple offers a free trial whereas Spotify has a free ad-supported version.

The Music Collection

Despite the fact that Apple has been in the music business for a lot longer than Google, it still doesn’t have a music library as big as YouTube. However, much of what you find on YouTube is from independent creators, which is not a bad thing, but their library lacks the cultivation of the Apple library.

Both YouTube and Apple seem to have a problem with consolidation. For example, YouTube Music allows you to view videos, but it doesn’t allow podcasts. Apple has podcasts, but they are not within the Apple Music features. Plus, Apple created a different platform for its videos and its music, which seems a little silly since both could easily be combined.

Lists and Recommendations

Apple beats Google’s YouTube out of sight in this case. Apple has been in the music business for a long time, and the company has collected a lot of information on what people like and what they will respond to. Plus, Apple still has its team of editors who create playlists and group songs together based on what they think people will like.

YouTube uses the information it harvests from YouTube, Google, and Google Chrome users. As a result, you always receive the blandest and broadest matches. You often see the same things being suggested, especially if you delete your cookies, and much of what you see recommended is obviously trying to please everybody. Finding original tracks and something a bit different will often take a lot of digging.

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The User Interface and App Usability

Apple knocks it out of the park yet again in this section. The interface is clean and the app is intuitive and very easy to use. Sorting, categorizing, and navigating within the Apple Music interface are all very easy and comfortable.

The functions and categories are laid out using lists of links and icons, and it works very well. It doesn’t assume the user is a fool, nor does it overtly push the most highly paid affiliate content down its user’s throats.

Google’s efforts are not bad, but their interfaces are often too busy looking. They often look like a cheap ad for a series of summer movies. The three-click rule is not followed by on the Google Music platform, and the app has a way of forcing its most highly paid affiliate’s content in your face.

Even in simple terms of usability and intuitive navigating, the YouTube Music app is just not up to the job, especially when compared with the Apple Music platform.

Conclusion – Which Will Win?

YouTube Music is going to win. It isn’t the best by a long shot, but it has the Google search engine behind it, and there are currently more people using Google, YouTube, and Android devices than there are people using Apple products. The Apple music platform is built into the Apple ecosystem, which makes it ideal for Apple users. However, everybody else is better off with YouTube Music because Apple doesn’t offer much to non-Apple users.

What do you think? Will the poor-quality YouTube Music prevail due to its marketing power, or will Apple find another way to rise from the ashes? Let us know in the comments.